


Ocean Eyes

by MayLee21



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Angst, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Friends to Lovers, King Levi, M/M, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Politics, Prince Armin, Prince Eren Yeager, king Erwin, member of the royal guard mikasa, servant y/n
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-09
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-15 20:42:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29939139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MayLee21/pseuds/MayLee21
Summary: Royalty AU: You and your family have been in service to the king of Eldia for generations, but when you met Prince Armin when you were younger and he gifted you a seashell, you became fast friends. Now, while working at the library, you try to hide the fact that forbidden feelings have started to blossom in your heart. It doesn’t help that your friends try to encourage you to tell him. But when you were just about to do so, a princess from another kingdom arrives, promising alliances in exchange of marriage. |Armin x y/n | |background Eren x Mikasa| |background Hange Zoe x Moblit| |background Historia x Ymir|
Relationships: Armin Arlert/Reader, Krista Lenz | Historia Reiss/Ymir, Mikasa Ackerman/Eren Yeager, Minor or Background Relationship(s), Moblit Berner/Hange Zoë
Comments: 8
Kudos: 16





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to my very first AoT fanfic and my very first reader inserted fic at that. I have seen waaay to little Armin x reader fics, so I had to change that, and also give some love to one of my favourite side ships: Hange and Moblit. They deserved the world. 
> 
> I hope you’ll like this little story of mine, let me know in the comments! I will cherish every single comment and kudos :D

  
**Prologue**

The light blue sea shell glistened in the warm evening sun. You had never seen such a thing before, but it was the most beautiful gift ever given to you. You looked at the blonde boy who had given it to you. You were sitting in one of the gardens of the royal palace, you had been in the middle of collecting any fallen leaves with your mother. When the boy with the blue eyes had approached you, you had excepted his gift cautiously, not knowing if it was some kind of joke of his, with him being a royal and so high above you in the social tiers.

Even though he seemed to be around your age, he was still a prince and you were just a servant girl, your family being servants of the royal family for generations. Your mother had met your father here, him working as a cook in the kitchen. Even though you shouldn’t even speak to him or look at him for long, the prince didn’t seem to mind. Y/n glanced at the sea shell again.

“I picked it up when I went to see the sea with my brother yesterday. It has the same colour as the waves.” The prince said and you could see the joy he got out of talking about it. If the sea had any resemblance with the blue hue of his eyes, it was truly breathtaking.

“I have never seen it.” You said, trying not to look at the prince for too long. Then you added. “Your beautiful clothes are going to get stained from the grass, your highness.” You looked up when the prince just chuckled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry about that. And you can call me Armin. You are y/n, right?”

You blinked a few times. How did he know your name?

“Y-yes, I’m y/n, but I’m afraid I can’t call you by your first name, your highness. It is forbidden.”

Prince Armin’s eyes seemed to lose some of their ocean blue colour and you already knew you would love the sea if you ever saw it. It would remind you of him.

“I want to be your friend, y/n. It gets boring with just my older brother and my father. And both of them are busy all day, now that Eren is old enough to join political meetings.” He smiled at you.

“I have to go now, but I’ll see you tomorrow, okay? I’ll bring one of my books for us to read! And I will take you to see the ocean one day, I promise!”

With that, the blonde prince ran away to where a servant woman was already waiting for him. Just after they had gone inside the castle, you remembered that you couldn’t even read. You smiled sadly. But maybe he could read to you?

While you were staring at the sea shell in your hand, your mother looked at you with a sad smile. She knew their friendship shouldn’t exist. But she wouldn’t stop it, not, when her only daughter got happier every time the prince showed up.

Prince Armin kept his promise. And over the next years, you were taught how to read and write by him, landing your new position at the royal library with librarian and astronomer Hange and Moblit. Their friendship grew and when you got off age, you had to recognise that those friendly feelings had grown into something dangerously resembling romantic feelings. Those ocean eyes be damned.  
  


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.

.


	2. In the Library

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back!
> 
> I was very happy about all those comments and kudos his guys gave me, thank you so much :)  
> I hope zu like this chapter as well.
> 
> PS: I know Hange is non-binary in the manga, but in this story Hange is a woman. I can just write her better that way. Just so you know why Hange is referred to as a she :)
> 
> Have fun reading the first chapter !

**Chapter 1**

A smile graced your lips when you thought back to the first day prince Armin had tried to show you how to read and write, how terrible your handwriting had been. But still, he had only smiled and encouraged you to write it again. Your hand felt the sea shell in the left pocket of your simple servant dress. Even after all these years, you had kept it save.

Tracing over it while you tried to enjoy the few minutes of peace and quiet that the morning shift at the library provided while you were sitting at the front desks, you could almost hear the sound of the ocean. Not that you would know what they sounded like but you liked to imagine it.

You were just about to stand up and begin your day of work, when someone out a hand on your shoulders from behind and you almost choked on your own breath.

“Well, well, well, already here at this hour, y/n! You are truly dedicated to the cause of knowledge!”

You sighed when you heard the excited voice of your superior and librarian Hange Zoe. How she could already be this hyper during the morning hours, you didn’t know. But still, you liked working under her.

You smiled at the woman with her disheveled ponytail and glasses, letting go of the sea shell in your pocket.

“I just wanted a moment to soak in all the knowledge in this big library.” You said then, which even had some truth in it. Even though you had been working primarily in there library for many years now, you still hadn’t gotten around to reading a lot of the books. You were still a slow reader. That you had been faster when prince Armin had helped you, you tried to ignore.

“That’s admirable.” Hange said and smirked. “And I’m sure it has nothing to do with the one that taught you how to read in the first place, right y/n?”

Even though you didn’t want to, you started blushing, shaking your head und putting up your hands defensively. “O-of course not. I’m not expecting anything from him. He’s a prince and even though he isn’t king Erwin’s first born, I’m sure he has more important things to do than-“

“Are you torturing the poor girl again, Hange?”

When you heard the voice of Moblit behind you, you sighed in relief. Whenever he was around, Hange spent most of her time rambling on about her new experiments and findings of the previous night and he always listened to her kindly, a small smile on his lips. He would probably never admit it out loud, but you knew he cared for her and she for him. Whenever the other one was busy sorting out books, the other would steal glances at them, even for just a second. It was very amusing. Your friends from the kitchen, Sasha and Connie, had even made a bet on how long it would take them to confess their feelings. If it didn’t happen at the Autumn ball coming up in a few weeks, Sasha would lose the bet.

“Moblit, how good to see you!” Hange turned around to him. Moblit looked at you for a second, gesturing to a pile of books with his eyes, before looking at Hange again. You understood what he wanted to say and quickly got up to leave the two of them at the desks, taking care of the pile of books.

While you were slowly walking down the centre aisle of the library, you soaked in the quiet atmosphere with only the chatter of Hange in the background, that got quieter and quieter the further you ventured into the centre.the sunlight was shining through the big glass dome and illuminated certain parts. The smell of old books was something you never got tired of. It reminded you of all the stories Armin had read to you. You smiled and put away the books you were carrying, the leather-bound ones feeling cool on your skin. When you read the title of the last book you were putting back on the shelf, you couldn't help but chuckle a little. The mysteries of the great ocean. One of your favourite books. There was a blue wave next to the title. Blue, like his eyes. You bit your lip. Even though it had only been a week since you had last seen him, you were already starting to miss the prince. You were sure he was busy. Even as the second born, he had a lot of royal things to do and learn, he wouldn’t always have time to talk to a servant like you.

You sighed and walked back to the centre aisle. If only you wouldn’t be just a servant. Maybe then your hopeless feelings for him could have a future. You brushed your dress from all the dust it had collected to look at least a bit presentable when you turned to head back to Hange and Moblit, even though you knew they wouldn’t mind. Hange often had stains from her experiments or graphic pens on her clothes, too, with Moblit fussing over it whenever they went to see the king. Maybe she kept doing it to get her assistant’s attention, you thought with a smirk. You wouldn’t say it out loud though.

Just when you rounded the corner, ready to look up and head back, you felt something firm hitting your head, which sent you stumbling backwards before a warm hand grabbed your arm gently, saving you from embarrassment. When you saw the expensive shoes you couldn’t help but frown. We’re there already guests at this hour? How strange.

“I’m sincerely sorry!” You started without looking up. “I didn’t see where I was going, it won’t happen aga-“

Your stepped talking when you looked up and ocean blue eyes met yours. Prince Armin smiled at you and you quickly thought that it wasn’t fair that he was wearing an equally blue waistcoat that brought out his eyes even more. In the light from the dome he looked almost ethereal and for a moment you couldn’t speak. When you noticed he was still holding your arm, you quickly stepped back and cleared your throat. Then you noticed that he wasn’t alone. Clad in a dark green waistcoat was the crown prince, who looked at you in a mixture of curiosity and boredom.

You quickly bowed down as low as you could. Why hadn’t Hange told you they were visiting? Now i]you made a fool out of yourself, not only in front of Armin but also the crown prince.

“Your highness.” You said quickly, bowing to both men.

“It’s good to see you, y/n.” Armin said. He was still smiling at you and by just doing that you felt your heart hammering in your chest. You forced a smile as well.

“Y-you too, prince Armin.” You said then.

“We are friends, right? All my friends can call me Armin, y/n, I’ve been trying to tell you that for years.”

“Yes, but it’s not pr-“

Prince Eren cut you off with a groan. “I don’t care about your little dance around each other and what is proper and not proper, but honestly, we came here for a reason and not just for Armin to embarrass himself.”

You blinked a few times while Armin started blushing. You exhaled forcefully and out on a smile.

“Of course, your highness. What is it you’re looking for?”

“Father wants us to learn more about battle tactics and one of our ancestors seemed to be a master of that.” He said, but he didn’t seem to be very intrigued. You wondered why. As the future king, shouldn’t he want to learn as much as he could?

“Ah, I believe you are talking about Wilhelm, your great great grandfather. Follow me, I’ll show you to the aisle with his battle journals.” You said and turned around, still feeling Armin’s hand where it had grasped your arm.

When they were almost there, the crown prince asked a question from behind. “By the way, have you seen Mikasa recently? You are friends right?”

You couldn’t help but chuckle a little before you turned around to face him. Mikasa was indeed a good friend of yours, a member of the royal guard. You also knew about her giant crush on the crown prince. They seemed to be friends, at least.

“She told me she was quite busy with training recently, but I’ll make sure to mention you when I see her next.” You said. Eren gave a hum of approval and then you entered the right aisle.

“I will just get a ladder, they arequite high up.” You said, sliding the ladder along the book shelf to the correct spot before stepping on it. The steps were old and gave small sounds when you were walking up.

“I will mention to replace the ladders in here to our father. We can’t have rusty ladders that threaten to break at any moment.” You heard Eren say from the ground and you smiled while your hands were busy sorting out the books. Even though he was the crown prince, you were glad he wasn’t an ass. Maybe Mikasa didn’t have that bad of a taste. You would even call him handsome, if your heart wasn’t already occupied. You quickly shook your head to get rid of those thoughts. No, j]you had to stop thinking about him. And his warm touch. And his eyes. Dammit.

It happened when you were just a few steps away from the ground. The step you stepped on cracked loudly and then you felt yourself screeching as it gave way and you fell to the ground, tightly hugging the books to not have them damaged. They were too valuable, you could take the hit.

But as you kept your eyes shut you didn’t feel any pain. There was warmth around you and something moved you to balance you out. When you opened your eyes to wonder about how far the fall had to be, you smelled the fresh summer breeze and old ink. Those blue eyes you had been thinking about looked at you worriedly, Armin’s face just centimetres away from yours. In shock, you stayed like that for a bit. He caught you. Why did he do that?

“Are you okay, y/n? I knew these ladders are too old, something like that had to happen eventually!”

You opened your mouth to speak but your face was already heating up. His skin was warm on yours and your heart beat even faster. You just hoped he couldn’t hear it.

“The, the journals are fine.” You croaked and held them up with a slight smile.

“The books..?” Armin said. “But what about you?”

You seemed to gain back your senses and quickly got out of his hold, stumbling a bit and brushing your dress down, which had slightly moved up, showing your bare ankles.

“You shouldn’t worry about me. I’m replaceable, these books are not.” You smile.

But Armin looked at you like he had seen a ghost. “You are worth more than-“

Eren stepped up to you and took the books, gracefully releasing you from this awkward situation. “Thank you so much. Those are what we came for. We better be going then. But as a piece of advise: You two are not fooling anyone. Really.” With that he turned and walked away.

Armin seemed to want to talk to you, already taking a step in your direction, his eyes full of concern, when Eren called back.

“You coming, Armin?”

With that, Armin gave you one last smile before leaving you on your own. When you knew they couldn’t hear you anymore, you dropped to the ground, hands in your hair. You had just made a fool out of yourself, not only in front of Armin, but also the crown prince. What luck.


	3. A friendly visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again! 
> 
> Due to the awesome feedback and kudos, I wrote this chapter pretty quickly. I can’t guarantee for this to continue, but I‘ll try my best.
> 
> Have fun with y/n meeting Mikasa and girls talk :)

  
**chapter 2**

A few hours later, the steady flow of guests coming to the library had been keeping you busy, with you running from one end of the library to the other in search of books. From time to time, you were still thinking of your encounter with the two princes and just how right prince Armin’s arms around had felt, when he had caught you, but you quickly pushed it aside again. You didn’t have time to think about such things that would never come true anyway. It would be a miracle if by the end of the day you would still be working at the library. You were expecting prince Eren to have at least told his father the king about the poor job she had done.

But as the hours passed and nothing out of the ordinary happened, well, aside from Hange’s excited little dance when she came running out of the door that lead to the astronomer’s tower, screaming something about a new galaxy she had discovered and with Moblit running after her with an exhausted expression, you were glad. With a laugh you returned to the front desk area where a new customer was already waiting.

Then, when it was time for your lunch break, you sat down on one of the benches outside of the library, eating the bread your mother had packed you for the day. Even though you and your parents were servants, you were allowed to have a small house near the castle, in the village. It was only twenty minutes to the castle grounds for you each day and even though it wasn’t always the safest, you loved returning there for Sundays. Under the week, you had a small room in the castle’s servant quarters for yourself. It wasn’t much, but even the bed was softer than the one in the village, so you couldn’t complain.

As you were eating and looking at the scenery of green trees that were framing the main road to the library, the wind played with your hair. You inhaled deeply, closing your eyes. Even though summer was slowly coming to an end, this was one of these rare end of summer days that were as warm and bright as in the high summer months. When you smelled the breeze, you could swear it was a little salty. Just like the ocean, as Armin had told you. When you saw his smiling face in your head, you felt your heart start to beat faster, again. Even though your head knew that your little specks of hope were misplaced - how could he ever feel more for someone like you? - you couldn’t command your heart. You sighed frustratedly.

“You look like you worked for a week straight.”

When you heard the voice of one of her best friends from afar, you opened your eyes again and began to smile. You could spot Mikasa from miles away, her red scarf she always wore tightly around her neck. She seemed to have gotten rid of her armour, only wearing a black jacket and equally black trousers. A knife was glistening on her belt.

"Mikasa, finally!” You said and jumped up. You knew she didn’t like to be touched a lot, so you hesitated, but when it was she who initiated the hug, you quickly followed suit.

“I missed you.” You said and you felt her smiling at your shoulder. When you stepped back she nodded.

"I missed you too, y/n. I’m sorry I couldn’t come sooner, but with the unrest in the east king Erwin has given orders to the guard to train even harder. I was on patrol the last couple of days.”

You nodded slowly. There were rumours that there would be a war with the kingdom to the east, soon, if that dispute wasn’t resolved soon.

Then, Mikasa smiled. "But tell me about your day. Any interesting things happened to you?”

"Well, if you count Ms. Hange finding something new in the sky and running around the library telling everyone with Moblit running after her interesting, then yes.”

Mikasa laughed a little, pulling her scarf closer. “How he is still capable of being her assistant, I don’t know. That’s true dedication. But then again, that’s love, I guess.”

“I’m just waiting for one of them to propose, to be honest. It’s been years. Even Sasha and Connie are betting on it.”

Mikasa lifted an eyebrow. “Really? I have to tell Jean. He’s close with them, too. One of my comrades in the division.”

Then you remembered. “Oh wait, something else happened actually.Prince Armin and corner prince Eren came in this morning, searching for some war journals.”

“Oh?” That seemed to be surprising even to Mikasa, who almost always kept her composure. “...How is the crown prince? Does he look well? I’m sure he has to learn a lot, I haven’t seen him in awhile, but that’s totally reasonable, I-“

Your smile got wider and wider as Mikasa rambled on. It was cute how her cheeks got a little red when she talked about her childhood friend. And crush, at that. But lucky for her, her crush wasn’t as hopeless as yours.

“He asked for you. Wanted to know if you were well. I’m sure I could pass on a message when he returns the book.” You said.

Mikasa pulled the red scarf even closer, trying to hide in it. “Thank you, y/n, that would mean a lot to me.” Then she smirked. “But you said Armin was with Eren? How did that go, hm? Did you trip again in front of him?”

Your face heated up. “That was one time, when I was twelve, Mikasa, don’t tease me!” You said in a whiny tone.

Mikasa laughed. "No, honestly, how did it go? Did you confess yet? What, it’s been years, you should do it. I’m sure it won’t be in vain.”

You shook your head. “You would have more luck with Eren in that department. Prince Armin sees me as a friend, nothing more. I will get over him eventually...settle down with a nice man and forget about him.” But even as you said it, the words tasted foul in your mouth. You were sure you would never get over him completely. Over those blue ocean eyes.

Mikasa looked at her for a while, her eyes both sad and disbelieving.

"With who? There isn’t anybody else you fancy.”

You shrug. “That Jean you are talking about sounds like a nice guy. Maybe him?”

Mikasa laughed. “You don’t mean that, believe me. Armin is the one for you.”

“As if you would choose anybody else than Eren.” You counter with a smirk.

Mikasa shook her head. “He is the crown prince. He will have to marry some princess and continue the royal line.”

You knew she spoke the truth but you were still hoping for some miracle and some happy ending of them. They deserved each other. And you knew prince Eren felt the same for her. They weren’t just friends, not like you and Armin.

“Anyways.” Mikasa said to change the subject. “I have been tasked to protect the royal princess and princes on their trip to the ocean tomorrow. We’ll be gone for few days I believe, with how fast the horses can go.”

You smiled a little. You bet Armin was already excited to see the ocean again. You absently touched the small seashell in your pocket.

"I am sure Armin will bring back something for you, y/n. Last time, he looked for an hour until he was satisfied with his present.” She smiled smugly as if to say: There is definitely more than friendship to your relationship.

You just shook your head, but you began to hope for her words to be true. If he would give you another seashell, you would treasure it for ages.

When the bell of the astronomy tower rang and you stood up, as your lunch break was over and you had eaten your bread for the day, Mikasa brushed her heart out of the way, revealing her right wrist with the movement. You couldn’t help but stare at the black ink that formed some sort of symbol there, you hadn’t seen it before. Mikasa had always covered it up before.

Even though you knew better, your curiosity was too strong not to ask. "What’s that on your wrist? It looks fascinating.”

Mikasa quickly pulled down her sleeve, covering it up. Her expression got unusually cold. "Nothing you should worry about. I...got hit by a blunt training sword yesterday.”

You furrowed yourself brows, not believing a word. "Honestly, Mikasa, what-“

"Drop it, y/n. It isn’t important!” When she realised how harsh her voice sounded, she quickly stepped forward, but you had already turned around.

"I’ll see you soon, Mikasa. I have to go now or Hange will scare away all the customers.”

With that, you made your way up the road to the library, leaving Mikasa standing near the trees, her red scarf flying around her, one hand over the sleeve that covered the mysterious black ink.


	4. Dinner and a surprise visit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone,
> 
> Thank you for the lovely comment and kudos you left me and thank you for reading my story.  
> I'd love to hear your thoughts :)
> 
> I might upload the next chapter a bit later than usual, I don’t know when I‘ll have time to write.
> 
> Have fun reading!

** chapter 3 **

The bell struck five when you were finally finished with work for the day. The steady flow of customers had kept you busy, next to letting Hange tell you about her findings and thinking about a specific blonde prince and Mikasa’s ink symbol. The latter definitely wasn’t a training bruise, but you wouldn’t keep on pressing for an answer.

You put back the last pile of books for the day, walking back to the front desks while simultaneously putting out the candle flames shining their light on the wooden shelves that were reaching high up to the ceiling. The glass dome reflected the orange colour of the sky and you couldn’t help but look at the beautiful colours, being interrupted by pink clouds from time to time. You had to agree with librarian Hange: The sky was a truly beautiful mystery.

“You can go now, y/n. Hange and I will lock everything up. You have earned your rest.” Moblit said to you when you reached the front desks. He was working on some kind of map of the sky, a small candle next to him providing some much needed light. When he saw what you were looking at he let out a small huff.

“If I hadn’t looked at it, Hange would have had a mental breakdown from all the excitement. And I had to do something to not scare customers away.”

You smiled. The man was a blessing for being so patient with Hange. How she didn’t realise how devoted he was to her, you couldn’t fathom.

“I’m sure she’ll recognise your worth soon. Otherwise, she would truly miss out.” You said boldly, knowing that you could despite him being your superior.

As you thought he would, he started blushing, shushing you and shaking his head. “Get out of here before she makes you work for her new project, too.” But he smiled when he said it, not denying your comment on his feelings for the librarian.  
  


With a laugh you bowed a little and walked out of the library, your body and mind ready for the bed in your little servant room. You really needed a break from all the walking around. Your stomach growled and you noticed just how hungry you were. Thankfully, you knew there would be some bread waiting for you in your room, serving as your dinner. You knew for some servants the day had only just begun, with the kitchen staff about to serve the royal family dinner. Sasha and Connie had to have their hands full by now. You just hoped the girl wouldn't try to steal some potatoes again, like last time. She hadn’t gotten in trouble then, because your father had stepped in as head cook, but if she was caught again, she might not get away that easily.

You entered the castle through the servant’s entrance and walked through a long corridor, heading for one of the spiral stone staircases leading up to the tower where your room was located. With each step you took you got more tired. You yawned and opened up your hair that you had kept in a braid. You let out a sigh of relief.

When you were almost at your room, however, you heard somebody call your name, and frantically at that.

“Y/n! Thank goodness, I found you!”

When you heard Sasha’s voice and saw the girl run up to you, brown dress full of flour and her hair tied in a messy braid, you raised an eyebrow.

“Sasha, what’s the matter? Shouldn’t you serve the royal family now?”

The girl breathed heavily and nodded, her upper body bend to the front.

“Ye..yes, but you see, that’s the problem. We’re understaffed. Connie has gotten ill and-“

Immediately you got worried. “Oh no, is he alright?” You asked. Connie was a friend of yours, too.

Sasha nodded. “Don’t worry, he just ate something wrong this morning. He will be fine by tomorrow. Your father send him home when he came in looking like the flour we use for bread.”

You silently thanked your father for his kindness. Then you turned to your friend again.

“That’s why I tried to find you. I know you have already done your work for today, but I really need your help! I know you don’t normally service the royal family directly, but I know you have when ou were younger.” Sasha looked at you with big brown eyes. “Please, y/n. Could you replace Connie, just this once?”

You initially didn’t want to say yes, feeling your bones hurt just by the thought of it, but your friend looked desperate. With a sigh, you nodded.

“Of course I will, Sasha. Of course I’ll help you. Let me just freshen up, I’ll meet your here in two minutes.”

With that you went into your room, closing the wooden door. You grabbed a comb and brushed your hair into an acceptable state und brushed out your dress. It wasn’t beautiful, but you didn’t have more time. It had to do. You just hoped no one of the royal family spared an eye on you. Next to them, you felt absolutely out of place. You hoped you wouldn’t have to look him in the eye.

When you returned to Sasha, looking at least a bit more presentable, she took your hand and eagerly ran towards the kitchen. You were dragged along. When Sasha burst through the heavy doors of the kitchen, you were met with many curious stares of servants. Then, your father came out of another room, sighing.

“Sasha, what took you so long? His majesty and the royal children are already waiting for their dinner.”

When he saw you, he looked surprised. “Y/n, I thought you were done for today. Your mother will be worried sick if she knows you work so late.”

“Don’t worry, dad. I’m just helping a friend out. It’s no problem.”

He looked like he wanted to object, but then the just shrugged. “Right, then let’s get going. Sasha, y/n,take the main course upstairs. Y/n, Sasha knows the way to the dining hall, just follow her.” He turned away. “And make sure she doesn’t eat anything.” He added with a laugh.

Sasha turned a little crimson and you giggled, but when you took the food and made your way upstairs, you were silent. In front of the main entrance to the hall, two guards were placed and you immediatly recognised Mikasa by her scarf. She gave you an apologetic look but you just smiled. You had already forgiven her.

“Good luck.” She said. “I heard princess Ymir isn’t in a very good mood today.”

The man next to her chuckled. “When is she ever?”

Mikasa rolled her eyes. “Shut up, Jean.”

The two of them opened the doors and you stepped inside. King Erwin’s back was turned towards you, but both princes looked up when you stepped inside and made your way to the long table. Princess Ymir just looked bored.

“Finally, I’m already starving.” Prince Eren exclaimed when you put down the platter, already reaching for the food.

“Eren, wait until everything is brought up. What would your mother think?” King Erwin said to him, but Eren just shrugged. “I don’t know, she’s dead now.”

“Eren.” Erwin’s voice was kind but sharp at the same time. The queen was a sensitive topic. She had died a few years ago, giving birth to the fourth royal child, a girl. Both died and the kingdom had mourned for months. King Erwin hadn’t married again, proving how much he had loved her. But for a few months, people had started to talk about one of the princes being eligible for marriage. You had tried to ignore it, but it was true. Both Eren and Armin could announce their engagement any moment. And you knew if you could, you wouldn’t want Armin to ever get married. Other than to me, a little selfish part of your heart whispered.

“Would you like some wine, your highness?” You asked Armin, looking at the empty goblet in frontof him. He was wearing a white blouse this time, looking even more ethereal than earlier that day. It wasn’t fair at all.

Armin smiled. “Yes, please-“ When his eyes found yours, he stopped talking. Your smile got tenser while you lost yourself in those eyes, remembering his warm hands. Thankfully, you caught yourself quickly, nodding and breaking eye contact. You poured the wine with slightly shaking hands. Then you bowed and followed Sasha outside. You felt as if Armin’s gaze followed you outside. What was he thinking about? Maybe pitying the way you looked?

After an hour, it was over and you were staggering back to your room, feeling as if you could sleep for days on end. Sasha had almost kneeled in an effort to tell you how grateful she was for you stepped in, but you had just felt embarrassed by it, not being used to it. Bowing should be reserved to royals and you would never be one.

You sighed and walked around a corner and into your room, falling down on your bed. What a day. You eventually got up and washed yourself at the small basin in your room. Then you changed into your nightclothes. The moon was shining through the window into your room, but you didn’t have the strength to close the curtains.

Then, when you were just about to blow out the candle on your desk and head to bed, you heard a knock on the door. You blinked. Who would come to you this late? Was Sasha having trouble again, was it about Connie? Worriedly, you stood up and headed for the door, quickly opening it widely, voice full of concern.

“Is Connie alright, Sasha?”

But it wasn’t Sasha standing there in front of you, illuminated by the torch light. The blonde hair and blue eyes were unmistakable. Prince Armin stood in front of you, his mouth already open to talk. But when he saw that you were only wearing your nightgown, he quickly turned away, giving you privacy. You couldn’t tell if it was the reddish light of the fire or if he was really blushing.

“P-prince Armin, good evening. I...Let me get into something more presentable.” Stammered and quickly threw a blanket over yourself. Now, you were definitely blushing. Great.


End file.
